The Fantasy of Reality
by Gentle Blossom
Summary: It started off as something small like subtle touches and innocent kisses on the check and forehead before it escalated to something more profound and passionate. Did the war have anything to do with it or were those feelings truly hers and hers alone?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I decided to start another Narnia novel. Please let me know in a review if you guys like the idea so far. I will be changing quite a few thing so as not to follow the movie exactly.**

* * *

 **The Fantasy of Reality**

 **~Chapter One~**

 **Overprotective To A Fault**

* * *

"Which one do you suppose is the most handsome boy of Hendon House," Eloise Hastings asked, appraising eyes sweeping over all the boys their age.

"I do believe the title goes to Henry Paxton," Margaret Hale stated. "That gorgeous smile of his!" Margaret promptly sighed as she started after the object of her affection with swooning eyes.

Clara Walsh rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Henry Paxton has nothing on Charles Bradford's bottom. It truly looks squeezable." She tittered at the shocked looks on all the girls faces.

Mia Bennett looked up from her novel in shock, but then curiously looked over at Charles Bradford, wanting to see what had Margaret so flustered. Her checks turned red as she instantly looked back down at her novel. She had been caught staring and now the boys, whom had originally been playing football, were now gathered in a similar circle across the field from them, whispering and staring back. Because the all-boys school had been destroyed by flying shrapnel and debris from an air bombing, the Hendon House boys were invited to attend school at St. Finbars, which in turn caused Eloise to invent the game during lunch hour as a way to entertain herself. It sure had made for a very interesting month so far as the boys teased and flirted with the girls.

"Margaret," Susan Pevensie gasped, wide eyes staring at her.

"Don't be such a priss, Sue," Eloise giggled. "What about you? Whom do you find to be easy on the eyes?"

Mia glanced up, curious to see just whom Susan would name. Usually, Susan tended to be private about such things. Perhaps today was the day she would share. Unsurprisingly, Susan refused to give them a name, despite their badgering and comments about her being a stick in the mud.

Coming to Susan's defense, Mia challenged, "Why don't _you_ answer, Eloise?" Blue-green eyes narrowed, waiting expectantly for the brunette's answer. Susan shot her a grateful smile, to which Mia nodded understandingly.

Eloise made a show of thinking about her answer carefully by staring unabashedly at the boys, eyes openly observing them. Mia rolled her eyes, aiming a dry look at Susan and the other girls. Smirking, she pointed at a tall boy with black hair and blue eyes. Ah, Edward Burke, deemed the most gorgeous boy by most the girls at St. Finbars. Even if Edward had been blessed with good looks, Mia found his condescending behavior very off putting. Said boy waved back at Eloise, with a roguish smirk, causing all the girls to crowd around Eloise with giggles and squeals. Mia gave in unimpressed scoff, focusing once more on her book.

"What about you, _Amelia_ ," Jane Hastings, Eloise's cousin, sneered, brown eyes glaring at her. No doubt she was annoyed by the way Mia had talked to Eloise. Never mind the fact that Eloise had started it first by picking on Susan…

Smacking her novel down on the bench next to her, Mia glared back unflinchingly, irritated by the use of her full name. Anyone who knew Mia, understood of her distasted for her full name. Only mother dearest and teachers got away with using it. The rest of the girls quieted down, staring with interest at both of them. "I don't have time for such trivial things," Mia snapped.

"You're such a wet blanket just like Pevensie here," Jane complained, hands on hips. An outraged Mia jumped to her feet, fists clenched. "Bet you can't get Edward to acknowledge you!"

"Watch me, Hastings!" And they shook on it, much to Susan's horror.

Mia spun on her heel and walked over to the boys, the girls looking on with interest. She made sure to lock eyes with Edward as she neared him. Edward grinned cockily at her approach.

"Hello, Amelia Bennett," Edward greeted. "To what do I owe this pleasure to?"

Mia's eyes widened in surprise briefly, but she recovered quickly by aiming an alluring smile at him. He knew her name. Huh, that sure was a bit of a shock. "Hello, yourself, Edward. I just wanted to talk to you." Mia casted a quick peek over her shoulder at Eloise and the others before she daringly stepped closer to him. She then noticed Charles Bradford peering curiously over Edward's shoulder at her. Remembering earlier, she blushed and swiftly adverted her eyes back to Edward, whom unfortunately had noticed their brief exchange. Glaring in warning at Charles, Edward shifted so that he was no longer within her eye sight.

"Is that so," he replied, suddenly reaching up to curl a strawberry blonde lock around his fingers. "May I ask what you and your friends were talking about earlier?"

Mia refrained from cringing at his touch. Another quick look back to see Eloise and Jane, with equally jealous looks on their faces, encouraged her to gently untangle Edward's fingers from her hair, quickly squeezing his hand before dropping it in favor of taking a step back. "I'm sorry. I don't believe I am at liberty to discuss that with you," Mia responded coyly.

He took another step forward. "Were you talking about me?" Mia internally rolled her eyes at his words, forcing a sheepish smile on her lips for his benefit. Edward stood taller, smiling pompously. "Why don't you let me treat you to a bottle of pop after school," he suggested, grinning what he probably thought was a handsome smile.

Realizing this has gone on longer that she'd like, Mia decided to let him down gently. "I'm sorry, but no."

He was exchanging wolfish smirks his friends when her words caused his head to quickly snap back in Mia's direction in shock. Seeing the look of utter surprise on his face, Mia immediately knew that he had never been turned down before. She grimaced, watching his face turn from surprise to sheer determination. Just what she needed. This stupid boy confusing her answer for her wanting to be pursued relentlessly by him. Now, Mia understood why she typically stayed away from the opposite sex, apart from her brother and the Pevensie brothers.

"No," he asked with a chuckle of disbelief. "Come on, Sweet Checks, I'm sure you'll rather enjoy our little outing…" He winked suggestively.

Mia wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I said 'no', you stupid, stubborn boy," she snapped, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she stalked away with a scoff. It wasn't too long before, Edward shadowed her steps, his hand falling heavily on her shoulder as he spun her around to face him. He gripped her wrist tightly, hard eyes gazing down at her with patronizing amusement. It was right then, in that moment, that Mia realized just how tall Edward was compared to her.

Refusing to show just how tight his hold was, Mia glared daggers back at him. "Let go, Burke," she spat, nostrils flaring.

"Not until you say 'yes,' Love," He laughed, his hold tightening to a painful degree.

"No, you arse!" Mia stamped harshly on his foot, eliciting a satisfying howl of pain from him.

He released her at once, reaching down to favor his throbbing foot. "You bitch!" He stumbled forward in a threatening manner.

Hands suddenly shot forward, violently shoving him away from her. Peter Pevensie, with a murderous gleam in his eyes, protectively stepped in front of her. Mia hissed in pain as the blood rushed back to her wrist, and she cradled it against her chest. Her noise of discomfort prompted Peter to tower menacingly over an astonished Edward.

"Stay away from her, Burke," he snarled, his form shaking with anger. "Or else I will be forced to tell Liam Bennett that you have been bothering his sister, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to stop him if he decides to beat you to bloody pulp." Mia flinched. Peter was right. If her older brother had been here, he wouldn't have hesitated to clobber Edward even if it meant suspension and an earful from their mother. Since their father's departure to the Western Front, Liam had become increasingly overprotective to an irritating fault. It was a good thing he was at home recovering from the stomach flu.

"What is going on over here," Ms. O'Neill demanded, rushing over to help Edward to his feet. She glanced over at Peter and Mia expectantly.

"Everything is quite alright, Ms. O'Neill. We were just wrestling a bit, weren't, Edward," Peter lied smoothly, calculating, cold eyes staring at him, silently daring him to say otherwise.

Edward nodded wordlessly as he lumbered back to his friends. Ms. O'Neill turned back to Peter with suspicious eyes. "Not too rough, Mr. Pevensie," she scolded, taking her leave.

He sauntered over to Mia and threw his arm over her shoulders. As he led her away, he looked back at the rest of the boys. "And that goes double for the lot of you!"

Mia allowed Peter to walk them over to the girls, whom were now grinning like Cheshire cats. Ignoring the stares from the other girls, he sat her down on a bench and crouched in front of her, gently pulling her wrist away from her chest. He lightly traced his fingers over the red mark now forming around her wrist. "Ow," Mia hissed.

Peter gritted his teeth. Mia could see that it was becoming increasingly difficult not to storm over to Edward and deck him across the face. "I should have punched that bloody bastard when I had the chance," he growled furiously, glowering at Edward's back.

"I'm glad you didn't," Mia whispered. "Thank you." Peter sighed, his gaze softening when it fell on her.

"You're welcome. Please refrain from over-exciting any other boys. I'm not sure you are fully aware of the affect you have on them," he murmured, squeezing her shoulder. He pressed a kiss against her forehead, provoking a rather strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She frowned in confusion. Exactly what had he meant by that? Since when did kisses from Peter evoke such odd feelings?

As he walked away, he ruffled Susan's hair, dodging her hand swatting with a laugh. Everyone crowded around her, giggling and talking loudly over one another. It was Eloise's voice that she heard as clear as day though, and it was probably because her words had irked her for some unknown reason that she could not fathom.

"I changed my mind. Peter Pevensie is most definitely the most handsome and chivalrous boy of Hendon House," Eloise sighed, staring after him with moony eyes. The rest of the girls giggled their agreement. Mia made a face at Eloise's declaration.

After school, Susan and Mia waited patiently for the younger Pevensies and Peter to walk home together. Everyone that Mia locked eyes with would either look away swiftly or stare back with curiosity at her. It seemed that the incident from lunch had already reached the ears of everyone and now every boy was heeding Peter's advice.

"What you did was beyond foolish," Susan exclaimed. "The rational thing would have been to just ignore her and walk away. But you did the opposite of what I expected of you."

Mia sighed exasperatedly. "Sorry. It won't happen again, Mum," she quipped. Susan stared impassively, finding zero amusement in her little joke. Mia winced, smiling apologetically. "Truly, Susan, I'm sorry."

Before Susan could respond, Lucy ran up to them, Edmund following closely. She seemed rather excited about something. "Is it true that Peter defended your honor against Edward Burke today and then forbid all the boys from talking to you," she asked breathlessly.

Edmund, she realized with some bemusement, was awaiting her answer with interest instead of the scorn she had become accustomed to seeing as of late. Mia cringed. Now that Lucy had said it out loud, it did sound a tad bit absurd, but it was essentially how it had occurred.

"More or less," Mia said sheepishly.

"How romantic," Lucy squealed, clapping her hands. Mia managed a half-hearted smile at the ten-year-old's enthusiasm. "Does that make Peter your beau?" Mia's eyes widened at Lucy's innocent question while Susan and Edmund smirked at each other.

"Sorry, Lu, but not quite. Your brother is just my friend," Mia said, her heart sinking a little at those words. The youngest Pevensie pouted cutely, but nonetheless accepted her reply with little protest. Once Peter arrived, the Pevensies and Mia immediately made their way home. They had loitered around school longer than intended and did not wish to receive a word lashing from their mothers. With the recent increase of aid raids, their mothers had insisted in them remaining close to home when not in school.

When Peter insisted on seeing Mia to her front door, she joked lightly about Edward being unlikely to be hiding out in her mother's rose bush because of all the thorns. Peter saw no humor in her joke, much to her surprise. "Please, go inside, Mia," He ordered solemnly.

Mia moved to open the door but hesitated. She turned to face him. "What did you mean by earlier? About not realizing the affect I…" she trailed off nervously, biting her lip as she gazed at him from under her lashes.

Peter ran a hand through his hair and exhaled sharply. "I don't know, Mia. I guess it was more of a jest than nothing. Forget about it, alright? Now please go inside."

Nodding, she bided him good-bye, as she entered her home. Even though Peter had claimed that his words meant nothing, Mia couldn't but help think back to how serious he had looked when he had said them back in the schoolyard. What had he intended? Nibbling on her lip, Mia realized she would never truly know what his line of thinking had been at that very moment. Perhaps he was right and she was only reading into it more than she should. Or perhaps it had meant something more. But what exactly?

 _Why does the opposite sex have to be so damn bloody confusing_ , Mia lamented.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the alerts, followings, favorites and the reviews, guys! I really enjoyed your words of encouragement; it makes my day. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. For reference, here are the ages.**

 **Ages:**

 **Peter: 16**

 **Liam: 16**

 **Mia: 15**

 **Susan: 15**

 **Edmund: 12**

 **Lucy: 10**

* * *

 **The Fantasy of Reality**

 **~Chapter Two~**

 **Boy And Girl Of Yesterday**

* * *

 _She was five years old when she met him for the first time. At the insistence of their parents, Mia and Liam had played outside while they moved the furniture around their new house. She had been having tea with her dolls while Liam listlessly kicked his red ball around. Despite Mia's pleads for her brother to play with her, he had been adamantly against playing with her dolls, declaring them to be only for girls. Glaring at him for his refusal to have tea with her, Alice, and Mathilda, Mia smugly pointed out that he was going to get dirty and Mother was not going to be happy. Liam shrugged uncaringly, pointedly continuing to kick his ball around, much to her dislike._

 _As if summoned, he appeared, clothes caked with dried mud and face streaked with dirt. A scandalized Mia eyed the messy blond boy with distain, turning her nose up at his disheveled appearance. Mother would have never allowed Liam and her to prance around outside in such a frightening state. Mia shuddered, straightening her pretty, frilly dress._

" _Hellu, my name is Peter," he exclaimed brightly, peering curiously at her and Liam from beyond their gate._

 _Gently placing her doll Mathilda down, Mia bounced over to Liam, tugging insistently at his arm. He half-turned to meet her look of disapproval. "Liam, we're not supposed to talk to strangers," Mia hissed loudly, eyeing Peter with distrust. Peter's face fell at her words._

 _Liam, ever the friendly one, shrugged off her hand and sauntered over to Peter, a warm grin on his face. "Hellu," he replied just as brightly. "I'm William, but you can call me Liam!"_

 _Peter's face brightened, eyes flickering over in her direction expectantly. Mia scowled._

" _Mia," she muttered darkly, glowering at her brother. Didn't Mother warn them about the dangers of talking to strange people, and most of all, a dirty boy who looked like he had been purposely rolling in mud? She wrinkled her nose when Peter smeared his dusty hands on his face. He was only making it worse, she noted with disgust. "Why are you so dirty?" She spat the last word as if it were an insult._

" _I was making mud pies," he declared boldly. Peter smiled hesitantly at her horrified look._

 _Liam garnered his attention by proudly showing him his ball. "Want to play ball with me?" Peter nodded enthusiastically, eagerly opening the gate to dart after Liam, completely disregarding her._

 _Mia gasped in horror. They forgot about her. Liam wasn't supposed to play with anyone but her! Plus, that filthy boy forgot to close the gate! At the tender age of five, she was used to people telling her how adorable she was and then showering her with attention. When Peter did none of the following, Mia was miffed._

 _She huffed cutely, crossing her arms. "I'm going inside," Mia announced loudly, briefly acquiring their attention and expecting some type of objection. When they just went back to playing, Mia stomped her foot and stormed inside, hoping to never again lay eyes on Peter._

 _Unfortunately, she did see him again and quite a whole deal, much to Liam's delight and her dismay. He was their neighbor, whom lived next door to them with his parents and baby sister and brother. Whereas Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie immediately connected with her parents, Mia had a hard time getting along with Peter. The primary reason being that he had a habit of acting all high and mighty, despite only being six years old at the time, and since Mia was too stubborn to back down, she usually told him off for his insolence. That and she detested how much Liam preferred to play with him. The green-eyed monster reared its ugly head quite a lot during that time. But, of course, Susan, whom Mia instantly befriended despite being Peter's sister, always took her side in those arguments. Oh, how he loathed that!_

 _Gradually, the resentment she harbored towards him diminished and he became her second-best friend. It was Peter she ran to when Liam played cruel, rotten tricks on her. It was Peter she comforted when he sprained his ankle falling out of a tree he decided to climb, despite her vehement protests. And it was Peter she decided to marry when Susan had insisted upon staging a make belief wedding in grammar school. Ah, those had been much simple times, before the war began and tarnished everything._

* * *

 _Thump!_

The sound of a book being slammed harshly, against the surface of her desk, jolted Mia out of her reverie. With a startled jump, the hand propping up her chin fell, almost causing her face to connect with her desk. Gasping, Mia caught herself and met the stern eyes of her English teacher, Mr. Atkinson. The room was silent, everyone watching the exchange with interest.

"Now that you have rejoined the land of the living, Miss Bennett," Mr. Atkinson said drily, pausing to allow her classmates to snicker and laugh around her. "Please read aloud the poem that I was discussing about earlier."

Mia reddened in embarrassment, knowing that she had not been paying the slightest attention to the lesson. Mr. Atkinson seemed to know it too, as he waited smugly for her to acknowledge her lack of attention. Mia racked her brain desperately, but was unable to remember the name and page the poem was on.

She sighed in defeat. "I don't remember the page number," she muttered sheepishly, staring at him from under her eyelashes. She was hoping that he would take pity in her cluelessness and ask another of her classmates to recite it.

He narrowed his eyes with strong disapproval but did moved on to someone else. Mia breathed a sigh of relief. "Miss Horne, please read the poem we have been discussing in class aloud." She did not miss the indirect jab shot at her from the tone of his voice.

"Of course, Mr. Atkinson," Vera Horne agreed, batting her eyelashes at him. Vera shot a false sympathetic look at her before her grating voice filled the classroom.

Mia rolled her eyes, turning her attention to her textbook to find the poem. As she turned each page, eyes swiftly trying to find the words Vera was currently speaking, a soft voice spoke up beside her. "It's on page 45, Mia."

Quickly turning to the correct page, Mia smiled brightly. "Thank you, George," she said gratefully, turning to meet the bespectacled gray eyes of George Livingston. He sat stiffly, beside her, his chair positioned as far away as their shared desk would allow, half of his body spilling into the aisle that separated the desks from each other. He looked tensed, body posed to bolt at any moment. George blushed, fidgeting with his glasses and adverting his eyes from hers to look at his own textbook.

Mia's eyes flashed with annoyance at the bookworm's reaction to her. It seemed that Peter's threat from the week before was still being taken serious if George's discomfort around her was any indication. It didn't help that when Liam had returned to school and had heard of her altercation with Edward, he had gone berserk, spewing insults and threats during lunch that he had to be restrained by Peter and a friend of his. Her older brother's explosive reaction had been further proof of the bodily harm that would befall any boy that was to bother her. Mia snorted at the absurdity of it all. George wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone her, yet he assumed that Peter's threat had been meant for him as well, rather than just Edward and his loyal band of cronies.

In fact, every boy was the same, keeping their distance from her in the hallways, whispering about her to each other when they thought she wasn't listening, smiling tentatively when meeting eyes, among other annoying things. The only one that didn't seem to follow this exact type of behavior was Edward Burke himself, whom would continue to eye her with a mixture of anger, disgust and intrigue. Sure, he would keep his distance like every other boy, but his stares always made her uncomfortable. When she confessed this to the girls at lunch, they had taken to shielding her from him by forming a protective circle around her, judgmental eyes glaring at him in warning. This only elicited enjoyment from him. No doubt please to have provoked such a rise from her.

The other boys' reactions seemed to amuse Peter and Liam, the latter declaring that they better continue to say away while the former merely smirked when certain boys would scramble away under his arctic gaze. The monotone voice of Mr. Atkinson made Mia unwillingly turn her attention back to the lesson, lest she face his and the headmistress's wrath.

* * *

"If one more boy looks strangely at me, I swear I'm going to strike him," Mia threatened darkly, moodily glowering at everyone who'd dare make eye contact with her. She was sick and tired of every single boy walking on eggshells around her, always warily eyeing her.

"You can thank Peter for that," Susan remarked drily, amusement in her eyes.

"How are you not upset about this," Mia asked incredulously. "In Peter declaring me off limits, you and Lucy were also indirectly included."

"Honestly, Mia, it doesn't bother me much. Most of these boys I don't even recognize, let alone talk to. Remember they are only here until Hendon House is fixed. And Lucy is only ten; I hardly think boys her age are any threat to her."

"That's not the point, Susan," Mia exclaimed, throwing up her arms, narrowly avoiding clipping a younger girl in the head. Susan aimed a passing apologetic smile over her shoulder at the girl's disgruntled look. Susan raised an eyebrow, silently asking her best friend to elaborate. "I'm allow to speak to whomever I please."

"I do believe my dear brother was merely defending your honor," Susan informed her. "By the way, Charles Bradford is looking this way."

Mia's eyes slide to where Susan had been pointing at, and they widened in surprise to see Charles was indeed glancing at them, or rather her. He smiled when he realized he had her attention. He seemed to hesitate as if he was debating whether or not he should walk over to where they were standing. Henry Paxton appeared then, whispering urgently into his ear, while occasionally glancing her way. Whatever they had been discussing, Charles seemed to give up on the notion of talking, for he casted a remorseful grimace at her before following Henry down the hall, away from them. Mia sighed, feeling inadequate by his dismal.

"I do hope _she's_ not coming home with us again," Susan spoke up, wrinkling her nose with distrain. Mia redirected her gaze to where Susan was glancing. "Her forwardness is rather appalling."

Coming out of a classroom were Peter and Eloise, the latter giggling rather loudly at something funny that the former had without a doubt said. Mia scowled when she saw how Eloise placed her hand, with familiarly, on Peter's arm whilst Peter did none thing to discourage her flirtatious behavior. It seemed that Peter's chivalrous act had unfortunately garnered him attention from a majority of the girls, with Eloise leading the charge. She honestly hoped all that attention would not go to his head; his ego was already big enough as it was without it over-inflating. Well, there went another peaceful afternoon.

* * *

They were seated in the kitchen, pouring over their schoolwork, when Mia stormed inside. She noticed how close Eloise's chair was to Peter's, so close that if Eloise shifted she would be seating in his lap. It looked liked she was whispering something intimate into his ear from the way Peter moved in his seat, his neck reddening. Mia's fists clenched tightly.

"May I speak with you" she spoke tersely, watching Peter spring away from Eloise. Both were blushing, but it seemed Eloise was less than thrilled about the interruption. Mia rolled her eyes, uncaring that she was currently at the receiving end of a death glare. " _Alone._ " She emphasized the last word by shoving pass him into the sitting room, silently telling him to follow.

A moment later, Peter entered the room, warily standing before her.

"I want you to stop intimidating the boys at school," Mia said seriously.

Peter made a face, walking pass her to glance out the window. "And how do you propose I do that?"

Mia huffed. "By being less standoffish and more friendly," she retorted, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"What of Edward Burke? Should I extend the same curtsey to him? Never mind the fact that he deserved to be knocked down a peg or two," Peter refuted drily.

"Not all of them are bad," she insisted, her mind drifting to Charles Bradford and George Livingston.

Peter snorted then, turning around to face her, amusement in his eyes. "It will be rather tedious to convince Liam to agree to such an arrangement."

She gritted her teeth, wanting to clear that smug look off his face. It was most certainly too late to prevent his ego from over-inflating; the blasted thing was big enough to fill the sitting room. She advanced upon him until they were chest to chest, finger jabbing him after every other word. "Susan and Lucy may not care, but I rather value my right to speak to whom I please. You _will_ be complying to what I asked," Mia stated ardently, eyes blazing.

He caught her hand mid-jab, irate eyes unflinchingly meeting hers. "And why don't you do so?"

She wrenched her hand free. "Because you have scared them off, you and Liam both!"

"It is not any of my fault if the boys at our school are sniveling cowards!"

Mia screamed in disbelief, stamping her foot down harshly. "You are incorrigible!"

"And you a pretentious, ungrateful brat! I didn't see you complaining when I defended you from Burke's advances. On the contrary, I do remember you thanking me."

"My first mistake," she spat, breathing harshly.

"No, your first mistake was thinking that your pitiful excuse at flirtation worked," he sneered.

She flinched from him, his words hitting her like a slap to the face. Hurt flashed across her face before it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. She didn't bother dignifying his words with a response of her own, allowing her disappointed eyes to clash with his surprised ones.

He realized his mistake as soon as he had uttered those words. "Mia, I'm—"

She turned on her heels and calmly walked out the front door, head held high while inside her heart was racing.

Peter growled lowly, fists clenching tightly at his sides. He longed to hit something—anything— at the moment. Why was it that anything that pertained to her as of late garnered rather violent, irrational reactions from him? Did he ingest something peculiar?

"Peter," a tentative voice called.

Peter closed his eyes, his back rigid, before he spoke in a tight whisper. "Go home, Eloise." He didn't wait for her response before he stalked up the steps, slamming his door shut on Susan's disapproving face.

On her way home, she realized with regret that he had changed, but the thing was that so had she.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I want to say thank you for the reviews and the followings. I really do like seeing how much people enjoy my story it brings a smile to my face and motivates me to update faster. If you have any questions, I will be sure to respond to the best of my ability. Don't forget to review please. :)**

* * *

 **The Fantasy of Reality**

 **~Chapter Three~**

 **Whispers Of Tomorrow**

* * *

 _She was glancing down at her black and shiny shoes, her small shoulders slumped and her head bowed, when he found her. An occasional sniff and hiccup could be heard. He winced guiltily. It was his fault she was like this. It was all his fault. He wouldn_ _'_ _t be surprised if she decided never to speak to him again. He most certainly wouldn_ _'_ _t. But despite their fight, Peter didn_ _'_ _t want that. She was his best friend and he was hers. At least he hoped he still was._

 _He took another step forward, swallowing nervously. His hands twitched on their own accord, itching to tough her, but he knew his touch would be ill received._

 _Why had he decided to ridicule her? Why did he decide it was a good idea to cast her aside in favor of playing with Johnny and Harry? Why didn_ _'_ _t he say anything when Harry had decided to pull at her dress? Right, because he wanted to shut them up from teasing him about playing tea with her. He wanted them to see that he was a boy, not a girl!_

 _At first, Mia had defended herself, shrugging off their insults and throwing a few scathing ones of her own that even made Peter wince on behalf of Johnny and Harry. But then they got rough with her when one of her insults had embarrassed them. The final straw had been when Harry had pushed her. The silence that followed had been deafening as a surprised Mia sat on her bottom, Harry towering over her with his out stretched hands in front of him. The silence was broken by Johnny_ _'_ _s raucous laughter and finger pointing. She didn_ _'_ _t even cry or utter a sound. She merely climbed to her feet, murderous eyes fixated on Harry and hands swatting away at the dirt that now marred her dress. She walked away, sending a parting look of betrayal at him from over her shoulder. That look had caused his heart to sink._

 _It hadn_ _'_ _t even been the push that had caused him to snap, but rather what Johnny had uttered afterward. Ugly. He had called her ugly! She was anything but ugly. A haze of red had washed over him and his body was responding before his mind could fully register his movements. There was a yelp of surprise and the sound of bodies colliding. He had Harry_ _'_ _s face shoved into the ground, anger radiating off him in waves. He almost released him from surprise, but Harry_ _'_ _s protesting, girly screeches had caused satisfaction to swell within him._

 _Peter's voice was dangerously quiet when he whispered into Harry_ _'_ _s ear._ _"_ _Don_ _'_ _t ever say that again._ _"_

 _When Harry hurriedly agreed, Peter climbed off him, but not before shoving his face more firmly into the dirt. He watched, calmly, as Harry scrambled to his feet. He smirked in amusement at the smears of dirt on his cheeks and forehead and his trembling legs. Harry and Johnny darting away in terror, Peter's laughter echoing after them._

 _But now, none of that mattered. All he cared about was his best friend. He barely took another step before she crashed into him, arms encircling his waist. Peter stilled briefly in surprise._

" _Thank you,_ _"_ _she whispered, her tone implying she had been spying. Peter sighed in relief, and just like that he was forgiven._

* * *

She was avoiding him. For the past two weeks, she refused to acknowledge his existence. Every morning, she strategically ensured Lucy and Susan were placed between them and refused to partake in any discussion he was part of. She stayed away from his house. She avoided him at school. He knew his words had hurt her, but he didn't know how to apologize when she didn't want anything to do with him. Her avoidant behavior was grating on his nerves and evoking a brewing anger within him. He longed to shake her, to shout at her just to get a reaction. Anything was better than this constant tension and silence between them. It was a good thing everyone was oblivious to the tension and cold shoulders, sans Susan, of course. Susan seemed to have taken Mia's side, with her warning glares and doubled meaning words.

He didn't know what he would do if Liam were to find out. Would his best friend deck him for hurting his sister? Peter snorted. Of course, Liam would and he wouldn't hold it against him either. Hell, he would punch himself! He shoved those thoughts aside when Edmund trudged into their room, informing him he had a guest. Peter rose quickly to his feet and sped downstairs, his heart fluttering with anticipation. Maybe it was Mia. At the bottom of the stairs was Eloise, smiling tentatively at him. He faltered briefly at her presence, quickly masking his disappointment. He offered her a half-hearted smile. "Hellu, Eloise," He greeted, hoping she didn't notice his nonexistent enthusiasm.

"Hellu, Peter," she responded, flashing him a brilliant smile. Perhaps it was because Peter was tired of brooding that he decided to humor Eloise by leading her into the garden. She was quite pretty after all.

* * *

"I noticed you and Peter haven't made an effort to talk yet," Susan commented causally, observant eyes flickering from the onions to Mia. "Are you still upset with him?"

Mia sighed deeply, her eyes flashing with irritation. She didn't need another reminder of that now. She hasn't spoken to him yet and truthfully, she didn't feel inclined to do so. His words had genuinely hurt her and she wasn't willing to quite forgive him yet. Mia knew it was rather selfish of her, considering the recent increase of air raids and other wartime perils, but she was still reeling from the blows of his words. That argument had not seemed like their usual ones; this one had felt different, meaning more serious and hurtful.

"Yes," she mumbled grudgingly, focusing intensely on the tomatoes before her.

"I know he said some rather hurtful things to you that day, but don't you think it's about time you forgave each other?"

Mia shrugged silently, unwilling to meet Susan's gaze. Wasn't she on her side?

"Mia," Susan began softly, noticing how annoyed she looked. "He's your best friend. Surely you could simply over look this little spat and offer him an olive branch."

"I think that about covers it, Sue," Mia spoke up abruptly. "I—I don't wish to speak about this anymore." She took her selected vegetables up to the cash register, handing over the correct amount of money and ration cards. Susan sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue with her once she became this annoyingly stubborn.

* * *

Gliding a brush through her hair, Mia's eyes flickered nervously to her doorway, in the direction of the kitchen. She could not make out what her mother and Mrs. Pevensie were saying from upstairs, but she knew something was amidst, considering the deafening silence that had followed as she had entered the kitchen upon arriving home. No matter how many times she had plead and bargained, her mother had refused to disclose what she and Mrs. Pevensie been discussing before her untimely arrival. Instead, Mia had been ushered out of the room, by her mother, with a stern look silently telling her to avoid eavesdropping or else. Since then, Mia had been able to stay away from the kitchen, but as time dragged on, it was becoming increasingly hard to bid to her mother's command.

 _Why so much secrecy_ , she wondered, worrying her lip.

Placing her brush down, Mia rose to her feet, crossed her room, and sat down on her window seat. She hugged a pillow to her chest and stared unseeingly out her window. Perhaps something terrible happened. Maybe her mother lost her job. Or worse, maybe something terrible happened to her father. Mia's eyes widen in realization. That had to be it! Why else would Mrs. Pevensie be over here, looking just as worried as her mother? Scrambling to her feet, Mia crept downstairs, feet nimble. Once she was within hearing range, Mia cupped her hand around her ear to hear the conversation.

"…I can't… I can't do this anymore, Helen," her mother whispered in a defeated voice.

"Yes, yes, you can, Elaine," Mrs. Pevensie encouraged.

"Two months! It's been two months since the last letter!"

"I'm sure it's been delayed."

"I don't know. Frankly, I'm waiting to receive a letter confirming what I already know. He's d—"

She didn't wait for her mother to finish her sentence; she had heard enough. She bolted down the stairs and out the back door, unconcerned about the noise she was making. She shook her head in a desperate, futile attempt to chase away the remnants of her mother's words, but the damaged had already been done.

 _Dead. He's dead_ , the words taunted her.

Her heart clenched painfully, feeling the blows of the horrid four-letter word she did not wish to nor dare to utter aloud. Perhaps if she refrained from doing so, she could maintain the flimsy illusion that everything was alright. Mia wringed her hands nervously, pacing around her garden like the caged lion she remembered seeing once at the circus. An abrupt wave of anxiety and fear crashed into her, nearly knocking her off her feet. With it, came the sudden feeling of something constricting her chest to a nearly painful degree.

She needed… she need to talk to someone—someone that would understand her and she knew just the person, too. Surely, he would understand her distress and might be able to convince her otherwise, even if she was still quite angry with him. She needed to see him; only he would understand her. She had entered the Pevensie garden when the sight of Peter pressed against Eloise's back made her pause abruptly.

"Like this," Eloise asked, giggling as she lightly tapped the cricket ball with her bat. The ball rolled into the nearby wicket.

She could hear the smile in Peter's voice as he chuckled in response. "Yes, just like that. Good shot." Eloise squealed in delight, clapping her hands.

"I do suppose it helps when you have a _wonderful_ teacher," Eloise replied coyly, fluttering her lashes.

"Good thing you're a fast learner."

Mia swallowed hard. She did not want to hear anymore. She swiftly walked passed them and bounded up the steps, allowing the door to slam shut on the sound of her name. She shoved past Edmund, ignoring his cry of surprise and scrambled upstairs. Inside Susan and Lucy's room, Mia sniffed, confused why Peter and Eloise together always seemed to irritate her. She scowled, shoving that thought to the side as she wrapped one of Susan's quilts around her. She was unaware of how long she has been sitting under the window when Susan's door opened, revealing Peter's head. Her eyes clouded at his presence.

"Hey," he murmured gently.

"Hello," she mumbled, adverting her eyes briefly at the question look in his. No doubt he was wondering why she was here after pointedly avoiding him for the past two weeks. Taking her acknowledgement of his presence as an invitation, Peter entered his sisters' room, closing the door behind him as he approached her cautiously. She eyed him nervously. It didn't matter if she had known Peter her whole life, but being alone in a room together, with the door close, was considered inappropriate and would most likely get them in trouble with their mothers if they were caught.

As if he could read her thoughts, Peter smiled reassuringly. "It's so Edmund doesn't listen in to our conversation," he explained, reaching her side and sitting closely beside her.

"Oh, of course," Mia answered, sending him a fleeting smile.

They sat in silence for a minute before Peter ventured to talk aloud. "I see you're speaking to me again," he commented, relief evident in his tone. "How are you?"

Her jaw twitched, and she shifted irritably beside him. She suddenly didn't wish to disclose the reason for her hasty arrival. His obliviousness had irked her and she wanted to make him squirm. "I—I'm fine. I'm just waiting for Susan to get back from the store." She wet her lips, fingering with a loose thread on the quilt to avoid meeting Peter's gaze.

"No, no you are not," he contradicted bluntly, hand reaching out to still her fidgeting. Ignoring the warmth from his hand covering hers, her eyes flew up to meet his in astonishment. Perhaps he wasn't so clueless after all… "You looked very upset when you flew pass Eloise and I earlier. What's wrong?"

"I'm waiting for Susan."

"I highly doubt that, Mia. If I didn't know any better, I'd think seeing me helping Eloise bothered you more than you'd care to admit."

The color drained from her face then, and she tried to school her expression to one of cool indifference. "You're deluded." Call her trivial, but there was no way she was going to give him the satisfaction of being correct or at least partially correct, for that had not been the true reason, but rather the tipping point.

"Am I," He asked with an incredulous chuckle.

Her face scrunched up in anger, cheeks flaming. "Do not presume to know what I feel. You're wrong!"

"Then why are you so upset?"

She could still see amusement in his eyes and she clambered to her feet, allowing the quilt to fall unceremoniously behind her. "Forget it. I can see coming here was a mistake," she muttered, eyes stinging as she walked away.

Peter blanched when he noticed how genuinely upset she was. He wasn't going to allow her to walk away after making progress. He hurried after her, catching her wrist and spinning her around to face him.

"Unhand me," Mia hissed, attempting to wrench her wrist from his grasp.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong," Peter snapped, pulling her further into the room.

Maybe it was his defiant expression or maybe it was the fact that she was tired of fighting with him that her face crumbled and she sobbed. Peter released her in shock, catching her before she could hit the floor. "Mia…I'm… there, there," he murmured, stroking her hair and back.

"My mother thinks my father is dead," she moaned hoarsely. Peter exhaled sharply, immediately pulling her into the plush chair, by the bookshelf, arms around her. On his lap, Mia leaned her head against his shoulder and told Peter what she had overheard.

"Hey, the letter maybe got lost or delayed," he reasoned, tightening his arms around her.

But what if," she paused, inhaling a shuddering breath, "what if it is true?"

"Never lose hope. Don't forget that something similar happened with my father and all our worrying turned out to be for not."

She did recall the time when not a single letter had reached the Pevensies regarding Mr. Pevensie. Mrs. Pevensie had been rather inconsolable similar to how her mother currently was. In that moment, Mia guiltily remembered feeling relief that her father's letter had arrived in a timely fashion. Edmund had been nastier than usual, Susan fussing over her siblings like a mother hen, Lucy clinging to either Peter or her, and Peter trying desperately to be a solid rock for his family. Mia knew better though, for she recalled catching glimpses of raw emotions when Peter thought no one was paying attention. She remembered holding him once as he shuddered against her shoulder, ragged puffs of air blowing into her ear, his trembling lips pressed against her neck, the nice warmth of her body seeping into his, and her hands tangling themselves into his hair. She had comforted him, and she wanted—needed—the same from him, too.

"Okay," she conceded, hiccupping.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out then. Mia stilled, surprised by his apology. "Truly, I'm—I'm sorry about Bradford." His tone was sincere and full of remorse.

She suddenly couldn't bring herself to harbor such negative emotions, especially after he had reassured her. She sighed. "It's quite alright. You were merely defending me."

Peter exhaled sharply. "I was, but that didn't warrant me discouraging the other boys from speaking to you. I only did that because I was so angry when Burke grabbed you and it didn't help that those stupid boys, including Bradford, did nothing to prevent him from hurting you," Peter muttered darkly.

Mia's face softened at his declaration. "It seems your warning had only been meant for that particular group of boys, rather than every boy at school," she guessed.

He nodded sheepishly. "Yes, and instead of clarifying things, I let my threat get taken out of context. Truly, I'm sorry," he insisted.

"I understand. In any case, I found his hesitance to speak to me very off-putting," she confessed. Several awkward encounters with Bradford flashed across her mind and Mia wrinkled her nose. She honestly didn't want to be friends with someone like that.

His eyes darkened. "Then he's a fool; they all are," he stated vehemently, crushing her to him. "You're worth the risk."

Her heart skipped a beat and she nuzzled his shoulder gratefully, his familiar scent soothing her. She had forgiven him. He grinned broadly. "What are you doing," he asked playfully, shifting in bewilderment beneath her.

"Getting comfortable," she responded simply. "You're like a fluffy teddy bear."

"Wonderful. A teddy bear. You sure know how to stroke one's ego," Peter said drily. Mia giggled.

"There's that giggle," Peter announced, a smile in his voice. "Now, can I see that beautiful smile too?"

Mia hesitated briefly but complied by shift positions so that she was straddling him. Blue-green eyes met cerulean blue ones as she used his shoulders to steady herself. She didn't know what possessed her to but she smiled at him, blushing under the weight of his scrutinizing gaze.

"Wider," he ordered quietly, hand reaching up to brush a lock of hair from her cheek. His hand lingered a moment or two longer than what was deemed appropriate before he dropped it. Her cheek burned from the absence of his hand.

She smiled wider, her blush deepening.

"That's better," he murmured huskily, his hands resting on her hips.

Her heart lurched and she swallowed nervously, thinking about the compromising position they were suddenly in. She needed to get off him, but found she was unable to comply since her legs felt wobbly. His eyes unexpectedly drift to her lips and her breath caught in her throat. In that moment, she realized he was going to kiss her and surprisingly she wanted him to. She closed her eyes at his slowly approaching face, hoping he did not notice how sweaty her palms were.

He kissed her tentatively, allowing her to push him away if she'd like. She had no intention of doing so and moved her lips in unison with his. Her lips against his were like nothing he'd had ever experience before. So soft and plump. So enticing and delectable. He found himself craving more. Just as his lips brush against hers in a more daring manner, a snicker broke the spell. Mia leapt away from Peter's embrace as if she had been burned, swiveling around to face a smirking Edmund. Her neck and checks were red. Peter winced, wondering what else would have happened had Edmund not interrupted them.

"So that's what you two do when no one is around to supervise," Edmund sniggered.

"Edmund," Peter barked sharply, taking a menacing step toward him.

"I'm sorry. This was a mistake. I—I have to go," Mia spoke swiftly, beyond mortified as she rushed off.

"Mia," Peter called, swearing under his breath as she ran away. He rounded angrily on Edmund. "Don't you dare utter a word or I'll tell everyone at school that you still sleep with your teddy." He shoved him away in disgust. They had been making such good progress. What now?

* * *

Inside her bedroom, Mia fell against her bed. _Why did I let him kiss me,_ she groused. Her lips still felt as if they were pulsing and she could still taste and feel his lips against hers. She sobered, her mind suddenly drifting to him and Eloise together. Despite how conflicted she felt now, Mia knew that no further kisses would be taking place between them. It had been a mistake. Yes, a big mistake. Emotions had been running high and they had just allowed themselves to be swept away. Besides, Peter wasn't even interested in her that way; he liked Eloise.

 _If that's the case, why do you feel as if you have swallowed something rather sour, hmm_ , a voice whispered. _Just admit it, you feel something for him and perhaps he does too…_

Mia's heart thumped faster at the thought, but she quickly banished such notion. "That's preposterous," Mia muttered aloud.

"What is," Susan enquired, standing in the threshold of her room with a bag hoisted over her shoulder. Lucy curiously gazed at her from behind Susan, tightly hugging her well-loved doll to her chest. "I hope you didn't forget about our overnight at your house."

Mia jumped, smiling apologetically. "Uh, no? How long have you been standing there?"

"We just got here," Susan informed, studying her slightly disheveled appearance, a curious look on her pretty face. She pantomimed patting down her hair. Mia flushed, striding over to her mirror to see her hair was mussed as if someone had run their fingers through it. Her eyes widened in realization. It had been Peter. She didn't even recall him doing so, for she had been so consumed by the array of emotions brewing between them to notice anything else.

She self-consciously, under the curious eyes of Susan and Lucy, brushed her hair until it gleamed. When Susan raised an expectant eyebrow, Mia noticed she had been stalling without even realizing it. "Peter and I made up," she offered weakly.

"That's wonderful," Lucy exclaimed excitedly, grinning unabashedly. She swung her legs back and forth from her position on Mia's bed, humming happily to herself.

Susan leveled Mia with an unconvinced, long-suffering stare. "Clearly." The heavy sarcasm in Susan's voice was not lost to her. Mia blew out an exasperated steam of air. She was not telling Susan about the kiss in front of Lucy. She didn't want to give up Lucy's hopes; that would be cruel of her. Mia shook her head rapidly, significantly shifting her gaze from Lucy to Susan. Susan wordlessly nodded in comprehension.

After Lucy finally went to sleep, Susan turned over to face Mia, her expectant eyes managing to pierce her in the dark. Sighing, Mia beckoned Susan over to her window seat, the moon illuminating them both. "Peter kissed me," Mia confessed quietly after a hesitant pause, adverting her eyes from Susan's flabbergasted expression.

Mia warily eyed Susan. Recovering from her speechlessness, Susan's face broke into a smug smile. "Well, that explains his rather possessive behavior as of late, the frequency of your arguments, and his brooding. You two becoming a couple isn't exactly shocking."

"Then why did you look so shocked just now?"

Susan shrugged. "I was simply surprised by the timing. Frankly, I expected you two to dance around each other for at least six more years before you came to your senses and married each other."

"But we're not a couple," Mia denied feebly. "He likes Eloise, not me."

Susan scoffed. "Unlikely, Mia. Eloise is merely some silly distraction and an ego booster. My brother likes you," Susan claimed. "Why else would he defend you so fiercely from unwanted male advances?"

"Liam does that too and he's my brother."

"Exactly, he's only your brother. While Peter, on the other hand, is not. Is it so strange to think that you may have feelings for my brother? And him for you?"

Mia nodded firmly. "Yes. He's my best friend. I don't see him that way and he doesn't either."

Susan shook her head. "Why did you kiss him back then?"

Mia froze, realizing she walked right into Susan's well-placed trap. "I—I… don't know," Mia groused.

"You may want to reevaluate your relationship with my brother then. You kissed him and that changes things," Susan said in a matter of fact tone.

Mia opened her mouth to respond when something made her pause abruptly. Something was coming; she could feel it in her bones. There was a stillness in the air that she hadn't noticed until now, a type of stillness that was foreboding as it was stifling. It was a stillness that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand and her stomach to churn. In the distance, she heard the collective roar of multiple engines, growing louder and louder with each passing moment until they seemed to be upon them, a deafening roar that rattled the windows and awoke their fear. The familiar, haunting wail of sirens followed closely in their wake. Beams of lights and a cacophony of loud and bright explosions illuminated the night sky in rapid succession, revealing a group of planes flying in their direction. Susan and Mia exchanged nervous glances and Mia instantly knew that nothing was ever going to be the same again.


End file.
